Measuring and dispensing device.



M. G. BUNNELL.

MEASUHING AND DISPENSING DEVICE.

APPLlc/mou men mmzs. 19u.

1,286,223.. Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

WITNESS IN VEN 70H @M gymw A TTURNE Y UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

MORTON Gr. BUNNELL, 0F CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHNA. HARRELL, 0F DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

MEASURING AND DISPENSING DEVICE.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

Application led March 26, 1917. Serial No. 157,330.

T0 all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MoRToN G. BUNNELL, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Champaign, Champaign county, Illinois, haveinvented a certain and useful Improvement in Measuring and DispensingDevices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for dispensing granular or poweredmaterials, such as malted milk or other products, in measuredquantities, so that the proper amount will be sold to each customer, andwhereby the contents of the bottle or other container will be kept dryand in good condition.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide a novel andimproved construction whereby a dispensing and measuring device of thiskind will be simple and reliable in operation and comparativelyinexpensive to manufacture.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features ofconstruction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiencyand desirability of a dispensing device of' this particular character.

To these and other useful ends, my invention consists in mattersvhereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dispensing machine embodying theprinciples of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of said machine.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the -feed-mechanism of saidmachine.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4 4 in Fig. 3. A

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 5-5 in Fig. 3.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises' a base A and a hollowmember B, the latter supported by legs b on the base. Said member B isformed with a reduced lowe'r portion 1 and an internally threaded upperportion 2, a vshoulder 3 extending around the interior of said member atthe bottom of the upper portion 2, which latter is adapted to have theneck portion 4 of a bottle or other container screwed therein.

A plateA C is supported on the shoulder 3,

and held in place by the clamping action of the mouth of the bottle (seeFlg. 3), so that this plate is securely held 1n place, but is removableby unscrewing the bottle. The

bottom of the member B is provided with and openlng 5, and the plate- Cis provided with an opening c, the two openings being out of register. Acentral boss 6 extends upward from the bottom of the member B, and ashaft 7 extends upward through this boss. Transverse arms 8 are carriedby the up er portion of this shaft, and a sleeve 9 1s keyed to the shaftby the lowermost arm 8, so that this sleeve extends downward over theboss 6 and is rotatable with the shaft. Blades 10 are secured to thesleeve 9, to form a series of pockets or recesses (see Fig. 5), so thatrotation of this shaft 7 will carry the materials from the opening c tothe opening 5, it being observed that the opening c is approximatelyequal in area to three of the pockets formed between the blades 10,while the opening 5 is not larger than one of these pockets. To rotatethe shaft 7, a handle D is pivoted on the lower end thereof, by a screwd inserted in the lower end of said shaft. A ratchet-wheel 11 is fixedon the lower end of said shaft 7, and said handle D is provided with apawl 12 for actuating the ratchet-wheel. A detent 13 is pivoted on thebottom of the member D, in position to engage said ratchet-wheel,thereby to prevent backward rotation of the shaft 7 after the same isgiven a forward rotation by the handle. The member B is provided withstops 14 and 15 between which the handle D swings in ay horizontalplane. A spring 16 connects the handle with the under side of the memberB (see dotted lines in Fig. 5), so that the handle is yieldinglymaintained in normal position against the stop 15, and is retracted bythis spring after the handleY is released. When the handle is moved overagainst the stop 14', (which is the position shown in Fig. 5), the pawl12 actuates the ratchet-wheel 11, thereby partially rotating the shaft 7and the arms 8 and the blades 10, and causing one of the pockets betweenthe blades 10 to carry a measured quantity of the contents of the bottleinto position to drop the same through the opening 5, thus discharging apredetermined quantity of the materials. At the same time, an emptypocket is brought around below one end-portion of the opening c, so thatafter each discharge there are always four pockets which are vfull andtwo pockets which are empty.

When the handle D is released, the spring 16 draws it back against thestop 15, so that the ratchet-mechanism is then in condition to be givena forward actuation. The detent 13 `prevents the ratchet-mechanism fromrotating backward when the handle D is retracted to its normal positionby the spring. The base A, it will be seen, has

a curved rib a to position a drinking rcceptacle directly below theopening 5, so that the materials will be discharged into a glass orother drinking receptacle.

In use, the container to be supported on the member B may be of anysuitable or desired character. As shown, this container takesthe form ofan ordinary glass bottle, such as those in which malted milk is sold,and in such case it is only necessary to remove the closure from thebottle and to then screw the neck of the bottle downward into the memberB, in the manner shown. The bottle serves as a sort of lhopper to feedthe materials downward to the opening c, andthe arms 8 stir thematerials in the neck of the bottle, thereby preventing the materials yfrom becoming caked or clogged.

Thus it will be seen that a machine is provided for dispensing granularor powdered materials in quantities, such as malted milk or othersimilar products. 1t willibe understood, however, that the machine canbe used with any suitable or desired materials.

`What l claim as my invention is l. A machine for dispensing' powderedmaterials, such as malted milk, by discharging measured quantities fromthe original bottle in which the product is sold, comprising a cuphaving an upper internally' threaded portion to receive the threadedneck of said bottle, so that the bottle will be supported upside down,with a shoulder extending around the bottom of said threaded portion, aplate formed to provide a feed opening and having its edges supported on said shoulder to be clamped thereon by the mouth of said bottle, thebottom of the cup having an outlet disposed out of register with saidfeed opening, a central shaft extending upward through said cup and intothe neck of said bottle, a feed wheel mounted in said shaft to rotate insaid cup below said plate and provided with blades forming pocketsbetween them to feed measured quantities of the product from saidfced-opening to said outlet, means on said shaft for stirring theproduct in the neck of the bottle, a ratchet mechanism on the lower endof said shaft, below the cup, to intermittently rotate said shaft, ahorizontally movable lever to operate said mechanism, means to limit thelateral swing of said lever to insure the advancement of said pockets,one at a time, to feed the product, a spring to retract said lever tonormal position, and means to support said cup in elevated position withspace below for a glass to receive the discharge after each operation.

2. A structure as specified in claim l, said cup having a rigid sleeveextending along said shaft, and said feed wheel having a hub whichrotates on said sleeve and which extends over the top of the sleeve tokeep the powder from entering between the shaft and the sleeve, with theupper end of said hub projecting through said plate, and means insertedin the upper end of said hub to key the wheel to the shaft.

3. 1n a dispensing machine, the combination of a cup threaded internallyin the upper portion thereof, having a shoulder there in, a feed plateon said shoulder, a bottle inverted and screwed into said cup to holdsaid feed plate upon said shoulder, and feed mechanism below said plate.

4. lin a dispensing machine, thecombination of a feed wheel, a' verticalsleeve forming an axis for` said wheel, a shaft, extending upwardthrough' said sleeve, means to rotate said shaft, said wheel having ahub which extends upward over the top of said sleeve, and means `to keythe upper end of the sleeve to the shaft.

Signed by me at Chicago, illinois, this 19th day of March, 1917.

MRTUN G. 'BUNNELL

